COLUMBUS, Ohio (October 14, 2015) – Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR) recently recognized five associates and one restaurant for their outstanding performance in 2015. The awards were presented at the company’s annual Leadership Conference, which was held at Chimney Rock Winery in Napa Valley, Calif., in September.

“I cannot express how thankful and proud I am to recognize these five outstanding associates for their exceptional leadership and ability to go above and beyond,” said David Miller, CMR executive vice president. “For more than two decades, our associates across all concepts have worked hard to deliver genuine hospitality to our guests. Our associates are truly the reason why we are successful and will continue to succeed for the next 20 years. Our annual awards are just one way we highlight the accomplishments of our dedicated associates.”

The 2015 Leadership Conference award recipients include:

Restaurant of the Year: Marcella’s Columbus in the Short North Arts District is this year’s recipient of the Restaurant of the Year award. Opened by CMR in 2007, the restaurant is led by General Manager Dain Cook of Harrison West and Executive Chef Jon Deutschle of Worthington, Ohio. Marcella’s is a bustling burst of Italian flavor and energy. The lively atmosphere is perfect for sharing a meal with friends or family, or for a late night snack. The dynamic bar provides a vibrant venue for sampling from a selection of 50 Italian wines served by the bottle or quartino.

General Manager of the Year: Greg Sage, of Beverly Hills, is the 2015 General Manager of the Year award recipient. Sage is the general manager at Ocean Prime Beverly Hills, which opened in 2014. With more than two decades of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, Sage is a natural leader and has been an integral part of the Ocean Prime concept since 2008.

Executive Chef of the Year: Jay Ingram, of Dublin, Ohio, is this year’s recipient of CMR’s Executive Chef of the Year award. Ingram is the executive chef for Cameron Mitchell Premier Events (CMPE) and has been in the CMR family since 2001. With a passion for delicious food and a drive for the challenge and variety associated with catering, Ingram has an essential role with progressing the hospitality industry.

Dining Room Manager of the Year: Annie Bowlin of Columbus, Ohio, received this year’s Dining Room Manager of the Year award. Bowlin is the dining room manager at Marcella’s in the Short North Arts District and helps guests plan special occasions at the restaurant. Bowlin has exceptional knowledge of the restaurant industry and customer service – all while continually having a smile on her face – making her an essential part of the team.

Sous Chef of the Year: Roman Rodriguez is the 2015 Sous Chef of the Year at CMR. Rodriguez, of Denver, Colo., served as the sous chef of Ocean Prime Denver for four years. Because of his strong work ethic, love of continually educating himself on the latest culinary trends and techniques, Rodriguez was recently promoted as the restaurant’s executive chef.

Cameron Mitchell Award: This year’s Cameron Mitchell Award was presented to Heather Buck, of Upper Arlington, Ohio, CMR’s director of training and guest services. She has been in the CMR family for more than 10 years and oversees the company’s entire training program and guest services as well as home office operations support, donation requests and gift cards.